


Plan B

by PaulPower



Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: Gen, Villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-24
Updated: 2010-08-24
Packaged: 2017-10-11 05:52:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/109108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaulPower/pseuds/PaulPower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another short character piece.  The Draconian Dignitary contemplates the nature of his boss, and WW2 military history (geez, first I do a piece on Orwell, now this...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Plan B

Jack always liked to think of himself as the master strategist, thought the Dignitary as he arrived back on Derse from his trip to the Veil.  But he wasn't.  Jack was opportunistic, impulsive and hot-headed.  Admirable qualities, to be sure: when they paid off, they could produce results much faster than a carefully calculated strategy could.  But it didn't make him a carefully calculated strategist.

In preparation for dealing with the humans, the Dignitary had studied some of their military history.  His eye had been particularly caught by the concept of Blitzkrieg, "Lightning War".  So much like Jack.  Attack hard and fast, catch them off balance, do things they aren't expecting.  It shouldn't have worked for the humans who tried it: they were up against a far superior military force.  Human historians had even debated whether it counted as a strategy at all.  It was poker, not chess, but the bluffs and the luck and the confidence mostly went their way - and it was the same for Jack.  Prospit had never fallen faster than it had done today.

And yet... in the long run, through a string of errors, the humans who tried it eventually lost, and it all began with a single botched cleanup operation, that gave their enemies the strength and self-belief to keep fighting and eventually turn the tide.  If Jack's strategy was Blitzkrieg, then giving the toy to the Heir was Dunkirk.  The toy was a powerful artifact, and not just for the weapons it carried.  The Heir was its rightful owner three times over.  It had been quested for by the Knight, lovingly crafted by the Seer and Witch, and it carried the weapons of all of them.  As a talisman, a symbol to bond the Chosen Four together in adversity, there could be nothing stronger.

So it was lucky, thought the Dignitary, that Jack had him.  Because when Blitzkrieg fails, you need a good plan B, a proper strategy, and that's what the Dignitary did best.  With a boss like Jack, someone has to be there to pick up the pieces if things don't quite go to plan.  And as the fourth prototyping orb lit up and ecstatic cries rang out from the throne room, the Diginitary allowed himself a smile.  Plan B had worked.

B for Bec.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, first I've got characters discussing George Orwell and now they're going on about WW2 military history. It's like my GCSEs all over again. But yeah, there are a few similarities between Jack's victory over Prospit and the German invasion of France (for reference, [here's](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitzkrieg#Controversy) some of the controversy of whether it counts as a military doctrine), while the confrontation with John and the bunny has a a very Dunkirk feel to it: Jack has won the battle, but his failure to clean up properly gives the Chums hope of winning the war. I also feel like I spotted a neat bit of symbolism with the way the bunny ties into the Chums' titles, particularly for John and Dave.
> 
> But yeah, the primary idea here is having a guess at what makes DD tick: the guy seems to be smarter than Jack/SS, but also quite happy to serve as his number 2. Also what's the deal with him creating Bec?


End file.
